Iris cv. Caracas

Scientific name: Iris cv. Caracas

Family: Iridaceae

Location

The Formal Garden.

The first light of the day colours every leaf golden on the Tasmanian Myrtle Beech hedge, Nothofagus cunninghamii, that encloses the Formal Garden.

American-born painter R. B. Kitaj has been influential in this perennial display. His 1981 work, The Garden, was used as inspiration for the colour theming of these Formal Garden beds.

Centre stage is the tall, bearded Iris cultivar ‘Caracas’. These irises have a thick rhizome, usually at least partly visible at the soil surface. Provided with a sunny, well-drained position, even young plants are likely to reward the gardener with blooms. A little chemical fertiliser is said to help and stable manure is not advised.